


greenlight

by smolmerci



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Talk Show Hosts, Background Victuuri Eventually, M/M, Transcripts & Tweets & Regular Text
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-06 18:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12216363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolmerci/pseuds/smolmerci
Summary: “Are you okay?” Yuuri is watching him with a carefully guarded expression—knowing him, he’s guiltily half-hoping Phichit will sayyou know what, let’s just go back homeand let him escape the necessity of networking for one more day.“I’m going to ace this,” Phichit replies, lifting his chin up.





	greenlight

**Author's Note:**

> hi! so, this was inspired by the lovely piyo-13's chris fanart, which can be found here: http://piyo13sdoodles.tumblr.com/post/158135440041/he-thinks-hes-classy 
> 
> THANK YOU IZA FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP AND BETA READING AND GENERAL YOU-NESS. <3

Chris & Tell, “EPISODE 92- JULY 7th 2017” (FRIDAY 1PM-2PM ET)

_“Intoxicated” plays; shot of **Christophe Giacometti** turning slowly towards the camera and placing one hand on his chin, as if considering something, against a soft reddish background. Close-up as he tilts his head towards the camera slightly and winks._

_Transition to wide shot of studio. Giacometti walks out to audience applause and cheering, waves. Sits down on green armchair at center stage. There is a mug of coffee with a picture of a white cat on his side table, along with a neat folder. He leans back as the applause quiets._

**CHRIS:** How are all you absolutely gorgeous people today?

[ _Audience screams excitedly_ ]

 **CHRIS:** [ _laughs_ ] Well! I’m glad to hear it. Now, today, we’re going to talk about something relatively tame, because many of you have been sending e-mails and calling to ask the same question: how do you tell when someone finds you attractive? Honestly, I’m quite embarrassed that we haven’t covered this before.

Our first caller is someone I personally wanted to reach out to, because I think many of our viewers will find it relatable.

 **_SOUNDCLIP. Caller 1 is clearly young, probably beginning college. Their voice is shaky and low, as if they are very nervous and don’t want to be overheard._ ** _Hi Chris, um, I need advice. Basically, I’m a guy, and I think I might have feelings for my best friend? He’s bi, so I know he wouldn’t be mean about it, but he also thinks I’m straight? When he came out to me—like, a year ago, I think? Anyway, I did the dumb thing and asked if he had feelings for me, and I know you said that’s not—anyway, he said he didn’t like me at the time, but I’m kind of wondering if maybe he just said that so I wouldn’t get mad. Or, uhhh. Hoping. That maybe he said that and it wasn’t true. **Embarrassed laugh.** Anyway, I guess...I want to know how to find out if he likes me? Should I come out to him? I’ve never actually had feelings for a guy before. But...he’s different. I really care about him...and I really don’t want to lose him._

 **_SOUNDCLIP ENDS._ ** _Someone in the audience “aww”s, others make sympathetic noises._

 **CHRIS:** [ _smiling softly at the camera_ ] First of all, Caller 1, I’d like to say that I’m very proud of you for being brave. Questioning your sexual orientation is no small thing, and it takes courage to be open to that. It also seems to me that you value your friend quite highly—enough to have done research on what to do when he came out to you, even after the fact, which is lovely.

I noticed that you didn’t mention being attracted to other genders, which leads me to wonder if you might want to look into resources on demisexuality—perhaps the fact that he’s your best friend has more to do with it than his gender does. I’ve added some links to my website, and I hope you’ll also look at the resources for pansexuality and bisexuality if you haven’t already.

Finally, a lot can change in a year, regardless of whether or not your friend was being honest with you—I’m glad you have the maturity to recognize that if he did lie, it wasn’t out of malice. _You_ have changed, clearly, in the past year—which is something you should consider sharing with your best friend when you feel ready. Although I can’t claim to know how if he returns your feelings, in my experience, questioning such an important part of your identity is a lot easier with a good friend to support you.

Besides, the easiest way to figure out where you stand with someone is by making yourself vulnerable and having an honest conversation about how you feel. Even if you’re not quite sure what that is! And make sure to tell him how much his friendship matters to you. Best of luck, Caller 1!

[ _Chris takes a sip of the coffee._ ] Now, who’s ready to meet our guest for today?

[ _Audience shouts their approval._ ]

The woman you’re about to meet has published three books, the most recent of which is currently climbing the bestseller list—meet Sara Crispino, body language expert!

 **_Sara Crispino_ ** _walks out onto the stage, impeccably dressed and beaming with delight. She stops in front of Chris’ chair as he rises; they air-kiss each other’s cheeks in greeting before sitting down._

 **CHRIS** : Sara, my dear! How are you?

 **SARA:** I’m kind of blown away actually! It’s really cool to be here in person—I’ve been following the show since you started, so this is— [ _laughs_ ] well, strange, but in a good way!

 **CHRIS** : I’m glad to hear that, because I loved your book! Why don’t you tell us about it?

 **SARA** : My book is all about reading people! It’s not _exclusively_ dedicated to romantic relationships—although section two focuses on that—but also how to read people in professional and social settings. What people are saying is often only a small part of how they feel, assuming they’re being truthful in the first place! And it becomes really complex, you know, when you factor in things like cultural norms, or anxiety—like, typically, people will tell you that eye contact is a _very_ important cue. That might hold true for a majority of people, but if the person you’re trying to talk to is on the autism spectrum, for example, because some people on the spectrum find it very difficult to make or maintain eye contact, it might be completely irrelevant to read them that way.

 **CHRIS** : I’m curious—that’s such a good example, by the way—because when you throw out the old rulebook like that, you’re not left with much, are you? Are there any hard-and-fast rules to reading body language?

 **SARA:** You know Pirates of the Caribbean?

 **CHRIS:** [ _laughs_ ] Yes, I do.

 **SARA:** It’s like the pirate’s code! [ _Audience laughs._ ] Not a rulebook so much as a set of suggestions. First of all, there are a lot of factors in any given interaction, so it’s important to remember that not everything is about you. Second, comparing people to other people is often not as useful as paying attention to their behaviour over time.

 **CHRIS:** Fair enough, but what about when you’ve just met someone? Like, you’re out and about, maybe at a bar or a party. You make that eye contact with a stranger—

 **SARA:** And you want to know if you should go over, if they really want to talk to you—

 **CHRIS** : [ _grinning_ ] If they actually want to see pictures of your beloved cat.

 **SARA:** [ _laughs_ ] Right! Well. There’s lots of things you can pay attention to in a situation like that. For example...

***

Phichit snaps the pocket mirror shut and puts it back into his pocket. _Okay,_ he thinks, hand on the doorknob, _you got this._

“Are you okay?” Yuuri is watching him with a carefully guarded expression—knowing him, he’s guiltily half-hoping Phichit will say _you know what, let’s just go back home_ and let him escape the necessity of networking for one more day.

“I’m going to ace this,” Phichit replies, lifting his chin up.

A small smile quirks at the corner of Yuuri’s mouth. “Well, yeah,” he says. “Start by opening the door.”

One deep breath and they’re inside _the_ Christophe Giacometti’s apartment. It’s really nice—a split-level thing in Murray Hill, kind of expensive-looking, but it feels lived-in. The walls are exposed brick, and together with the wood beams, white ceilings, and high windows it seems warm and bright despite the large amount of empty space. Conversation hums, beautiful people laugh, and Phichit is struck with disbelief at the fact that he actually belongs here. For real.

“Phichit! Congratulations!” A familiar voice booms, just as Phichit feels a hand pound excitedly on his back.

“Hey, Ciao Ciao,” he says, a little out of breath. Despite this, he finds himself smiling up at his former Senior Producer, who seems delighted to run into them. “Thanks!”

“I’m really excited to see what you’ll do with it! Happy to have you on the team again,” Celestino continues. Yuuri attempts to slink away, but he only gets two steps back before Celestino claps him on the back too. Phichit figures there’s no point in his sticking around—Yuuri needs to get back into the swing of things, and their old boss is a decent place to start.

Besides, it’s _Phichit’s_ night, after all. Irving  & Cox Entertainment is celebrating the fact that they hired Phichit, and the fact that they’re opening a new online media project, and he deserves to enjoy it.

 _Living the dream,_ Phichit thinks, heart in his throat, as he scans the crowd for familiar faces. He’s met some of these people before at networking events, and knows _of_ others— like Mr. Feltsman, one of ICE’s general managers, known for his ability to wrangle difficult talent in earlier years. Or Victor Nikiforov, who is rumoured to be in attendance. Mila Babicheva is standing nearby, and they’ve had several informal meetings throughout the hiring process—she’s technically his boss, since she’s _Fan on the Street_ ’s executive producer, but he has a good feeling about her. _We’re like a family here at ICE,_ she’d said, over coffee. _Don’t be shy, and don’t hold back._ Phichit smiles brightly as she catches his eye, and she waves him over to her circle.

This part is easy for Phichit: talk, laugh, schmooze, take selfies—he enjoys it, unlike Yuuri, who acts like networking is just the flashier equivalent of a root canal. People seem interested to meet him, mostly in a good way. Others have something tight and cynical about their smiles, and Phichit assumes that’s because they’re expecting his show to be another failed attempt at cashing in with the millennial demographic. Buzzfeed, but more expensive, too corporate—which, okay, fair enough. But luckily, Phichit has one important thing in common with Yuuri Katsuki:  he can’t wait to show them what he can do. Proving them wrong will be fun, and he’s always loved a challenge.

He’s happily chatting to Leo—staff writer, he’ll be doing copy for Phichit about their music coverage— and Guang-hong when he spots a curly head of blonde hair moving closer, out of the corner of his eye.

“Mila!” This voice is also familiar to Phichit, and it makes the tips of his ears go hot with shock as he turns slightly, unable to resist a look—and yeah, okay, he should have expected that Christophe Giacometti would be at his own party, and they _are_ co-workers now, in a way. So what if he spent a good portion of one of his first interviews talking about how Chris’ show is a shining example of great content that appeals to younger demographics for all the right reasons? Mila probably hasn’t said anything about that to Chris. Or at least he hopes not.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to the man of the hour?” Chris grins, sliding an arm around Mila’s shoulders. He’s very tall in real life. Mila beams.

“Phichit, Chris, Chris, Phichit. Although you both know of each other by now,” She adds. Phichit tries not to flip out. _What does she mean????_ Suddenly grateful that he’s holding his drink in his left hand, he reaches out for a handshake, and Chris immediately takes his hand— _big hands_ , Phichit thinks, a little dumbly.

“Chris! Hi! I love your show,” he blurts out. _Fuck, he definitely gets that all the time._

Chris smiles anyway, and Phichit is struck by how much warmer he seems in person. Although he’s charming onscreen, there’s something _fonder_ about the way he looks at people—or at least, at Phichit.

“Well, thank you. I love your twitter,” Chris replies smoothly, which, okay, wow. Phichit resists the urge to check his phone, because _clearly_ he’s missed some notifications, or Chris doesn’t follow him, and he _needs to know_ —“Honestly, I haven’t quite got the hang of it yet, so right now it’s an intern—he’s fine, of course, but I really admire the level of engagement you get. I’m considering trying my hand at it.” He’s turned towards Phichit entirely now, and Phichit is kind of overwhelmed. He has a really nice face.

“Honestly, I think you could do some _amazing_ stuff,” Phichit hears himself replying. “Like, look. Your Insta is pretty solid, but you can only do so much with that, right?” He pauses, feeling his face get flushed as he looks up at Chris, who raises his eyebrows. “Uh—sorry, I’m sure you have people nagging you about that already! I’m just— excited to be here.”

Chris blinks. “It’s nicer to hear it from someone who’s passionate,” he says easily. “And not to worry, I’ve been there. It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? I remember the first time I met Victor, I,” he chuckles, clearly amused at the memory.  “I spilled wine all over his shirt because my hands were shaking so hard. White wine, thank god, but _still_.” He rolls his eyes, and Phichit takes a moment to appreciate them as they laugh.

“Was he nice about it? God, I keep thinking I’m going to run into him and just...blank,” Phichit confesses.

“He was a gentleman about it, of course. You shouldn’t worry, either, he’s so used to everything by now that it takes a lot more than wine-spilling or stunned silence to ruffle his feathers. Besides, you’ve been perfectly charming so far.” Chris winks.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Hard to compete with the master of charisma,” Phichit points out, a little playful. He takes another sip of his drink as Chris tries not to smile.

“ _Master of Charisma_. That’s a new one.” He’s embarrassed, Phichit realises, as Chris discreetly rubs the back of his own neck and laughs. “I should get that on a business card.”

“Or your twitter bio, if you ever figure it out,” Phichit teases.

“Well, you’ve certainly provided ample motivation, my dear,” Chris shoots him the slyest of grins,  and Phichit blinks at him, suddenly feeling warmth spread over his cheeks— it takes him a second to process that this might actually be considered flirting, and in that second, a nervous-looking woman with an earpiece who might be some sort of party staff places a hand on Chris’ elbow.  
  
“Um, there’s a situation on the second floor.” Chris’s eyebrows raise in confusion. “Someone found the pole.”  
  
“Ah,” Chris says, smoothly, “I should go take care of that. Phichit, it’s been a pleasure— don’t be a stranger, alright? I’m in the market for a twitter mentor, and if you need to vent about the joys of content creation, I’d be happy to listen.” With that, and a warm pat to Phichit’s shoulder, he disappears into the crowd.

Phichit allows himself a moment. _Holy shit_ , he thinks, finishing his  drink. _Holy shit._

***

 Fan On The Street, “PILOT- JULY 13th 2017” (ONLINE THURSDAY 6PM ET)

_“Happy” by Pharrell Williams plays; multiple takes of **Phichit Chulanont** dancing along to the music ending with a close-up on his winning smile. He makes a peace sign, cheeky and bright, and the intro ends. _

_Phichit is not in a studio; he is instead walking outside it, in casual summer wear, being followed closely by a camera (medium shot). The street has not been cleared, as there are plenty of young people—students— giving Phichit curious looks as he passes. He smiles back._  
  
**PHICHIT:** [ _conspiratorially_ ] I’m trying to find some people who look like they want to talk to me about something very important.  
  
_Near the end of the street, very close to the edge of a local university campus, a group of three women sits, chatting and sipping iced coffees. They are sneaking looks at Phichit, obviously wondering what he’s up to, and whisper excitedly as he makes his way over._  
  
**PHICHIT:** Hi! I’m Phichit Chulanont, and I’m filming an episode of my new show ‘Fan on the Street,’ would it be alright if I talked to you for a bit?  
  
**GIRL #1:** Do we have to do anything? Or like, just answer questions?  
  
**PHICHIT:** [ _with a quick waggle of his eyebrows towards the camera_ ] You’ll see! No, I’m just kidding, it’s just answering questions and then maybe— [ _he leans in to whisper to the girls, who grin and laugh, nodding_ ] Are we all in?  
  
**GIRLS:** [ _various responses, all along the lines of “yeah!”/”sure”/etc._ ]

 **PHICHIT:** Excellent. Now. First question. [ _he leans in again, with dramatic solemnity, and the camera tightens on him and the girls, who look amused._ ] Do you have a minute to talk about our lord and saviour Dua Lipa?

 **_CUT TO IN-STUDIO LOCATION._ ** _Phichit is sitting at a table, boardroom executive style, with a sharply-dressed pair of gentlemen. They are all wearing suit jackets and have folders in front of them; it’s clearly meant to be a little exaggerated, and they all look very serious until the camera does a close-up on their shirts. Each one is pastel-coloured and has one of three rules on it— ONE: DON’T PICK UP THE PHONE, TWO: DON’T LET HIM IN, THREE: DON’T BE HIS FRIEND. There is a projector screen behind them, perfectly angled towards the camera, with the words “DUA LIPA’S NEW RULES: FASHION, FEMINISM, VISUALS” on it._

 **PHICHIT:** Alright, boys, what do you have for me?  
  
**LEO DE LA IGLESIA:** Let’s start with words from the mouth Dua Lipa herself! For those who don’t know, she’s a 22-year-old English model and singer-songwriter signed with Warner Musical Group—  
  
**GUANG-HONG JI:** And she just came out with ‘New Rules’!  
  
**LEO:** Yes! She describes her music as ‘dark pop,’ but show them the quote about ‘New Rules,’ Phichit.

 _Close-up on projector image. “There was an image I’d saved of Naomi Campbell in the 80s— I think it was a Versace campaign— where she is basically holding another girl on her back. I loved the idea of girls looking after each other like that, holding each other, that sense of humility, that sense of strength._ ” _Dua Lipa’s quote is placed next to the image, which actually has Naomi being carried by another model, and a still from the New Rules music video where Dua Lipa carries another girl._  
  
**GUANG-HONG:** That’s called the flamingo pose, if you were wondering, Phichit.  
  
**PHICHIT:** Flamingos, huh? Well, that explains a lot.

_Projector image. Various stills of the flamingos from New Rules._

**PHICHIT:** I wanted to talk about the choreography, because her team had some stuff to say there, too— Teresa Barcelo, the choreographer who worked with Dua Lipa and the director on New Rules, was trying to convey ‘trust and sisterhood’— the director said they “worked to bring that narrative of togetherness and empowerment into our choreography,” which is what Dua Lipa really wanted for New Rules—

 **GUANG-HONG:** If you look at the camera work, too, you get that impression. The video is full of long takes, so you get a kind of seamless flow that brings you in— like the camera and the viewer are both dancing along too….  
  
_More talking: full transcript available on FANONTHESTREETonICE.COM._

_A phone rings. It is bright green and has, until now, been sitting quietly to the right of the main table. There is a small sign above the phone that says ‘EXPERTS ONLY’. Phichit answers it immediately, and presses the ‘speaker’ button._

**PHICHIT:** Hi, Ketty! Everyone, this is Ketty, she’s in Gender Studies and Cultural Studies and she also had some stuff to say about New Rules.

 **KETTY ABELASHVILI:** Hi, Phichit! Yeah, listen, everyone’s talking about how this video is ‘super feminist’—which, you know, it’s often more complicated than that— but you have to consider that Dua Lipa’s been talking about feminism for a while. Mainly, she focuses on women’s right to creative freedom, to self-expression, and to choosing a life for themselves, but New Rules also centers around women’s relationships with each other. There’s not a single guy in the video, even if they’re _talking_ about guys.

 **PHICHIT** : We’ve talked about this before, but when you think about how the song itself doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, for example, what does that mean for the video? For calling it “feminist” or “not feminist”?

 **KETTY:** Listen, it’s just not that simple. Every cultural work has its flaws and its strengths, and when you’re talking about a music video, you have to be willing to dissect it, to take it apart and consider each piece— the music, the choreography, the lyrics. And then there’s also questions about production, because you can say an art piece is feminist, but what was the casting like? What impact did an object’s creation have on the artist, on the real people who made it?

 **PHICHIT:** And the audience?  
  
**KITTY:** Oh, absolutely. Impact is just as important as intent.

 ** _CUT TO GIRLS ON THE STREET WITH PHICHIT._** _Phichit is now sitting with them, though he’s cheating towards the camera._  
  
**PHICHIT:** So what did you like about New Rules when it came out?  
  
**GIRL #2:** It reminded me of my friends. Like, it takes you to a place where— and maybe it’s like, idealized, but when are music videos not full of that. But you’re watching it and you’re feeling like, hey, this could be me and my friends, and it’s kind of beautiful to have people who will fight for you when you’re being treated like [ _bleeped out_ ].

 **GIRL #3:** [ _nodding_ ] Yeah. Also, it’s kind of geared towards us, you know? The fashion, and the sunglasses and bathrobes and whatever— it’s like a squad goals fantasy, not like, oh, I’m dressed like this for a dude kind of thing.

 **GIRL #1, #2:** [ _noises of startled agreement_ ]

 **PHICHIT:** Alright, last question. Are you ready?

_The girls nod, setting down their iced coffees, which are by now mostly empty. The camera zooms out to a longer shot, so that everyone can be shown standing. Bystanders are pausing to watch; a techie sets a set of speakers meant to look like a boombox down on their table, and ‘New Rules’ starts playing loudly._

_Phichit, who clearly has some experience, immediately starts dancing. The girls laugh and join in, awkwardly at first, but with increasing confidence as the song goes on. Some of the moves are from the video itself, but for the most part it looks like improvisation. Bystanders join in._

**PHICHIT:** [ _turning to face the camera as everyone keeps dancing_ ] That’s a wrap, everyone! Special thanks to Ketty, who doesn’t like being on camera but lent us her voice and expertise today! If you want more explanations and sources, you can visit our website at FANONTHESTREETonICE.com, or hit us up on twitter! Thanks for watching, everyone!

_Camera cuts back to the boardroom as the credits roll— in place of Phichit, Leo, and Guang-Hong are three pink plastic flamingos._

***

“I can’t believe we actually finished it!” Leo grins and holds up a hand as Phichit keeps talking; Phichit high-fives him. “We are officially _started_. I can’t wait to _sleep_ again—”  
  
“Please,” Leo interrupts, laughing. “Like you won’t be on Twitter as soon as you get home.”

“This is true,” Phichit admits, without any real shame. Then again, it’s hard to feel anything other than near-delirious joy at their accomplishment right now, as they head out from the ICE studio with big smiles and Mila’s blessing.

Leo’s car is in the parking lot, which means they part ways just before Phichit walks out those imposing, beautiful double doors and onto the street. It’s mid-afternoon, just a few hours before his very first episode is going to air, and he knows he’s going to be totally useless and keyed up until it does. Instead of heading for the subway, he turns towards a nearby coffee shop.  

They kind of know him by now, since he’s there so often, and the barista repeats his usual order—medium vanilla latte with an extra flavour shot, blueberry scone if he’s hungry— with a sincere smile. His usual spot is right by the window, where he can people-watch as he scrolls through his phone, and he sits there to wait for his coffee.  
  
Outside, it’s mostly students and business types, but a tall blond stranger catches Phichit’s eye as he walks towards the shop. He’s got big round glasses, and the type of arms that make you want to be picked up, and— and, god, okay, that’s Christophe Giacometti’s stupidly perfect face behind the specs. Without really thinking, Phichit grins and waves.

Chris blinks at him for a second, then smiles back and enters the coffee shop. Phichit has about fifteen seconds to panic internally until Chris reaches the table. He puts a hand on Phichit’s shoulder as he says hi, and then sits. Phichit wonders if it’s just a side effect of being around Chris that his shoulder is now tingling.

“How are you? ICE working you to the bone?” Chris asks, and Phichit brightens considerably.

“I’m _excellent_ , we just finished the pilot! I can’t remember what sleeping feels like, but I’m more to blame for that than Mila is, if we’re being totally honest here— oh, thanks!” The barista sets down the coffee and scone, and Chris takes a second to order a regular black coffee before she leaves.

“Congratulations! When’s it airing?” Chris watches as Phichit makes a face and sets down his latte, since he was too eager to wait for it to cool down.  
  
“Tonight at six, online,” He says, excitedly. “I’m just taking a break for coffee, but I have to be on Twitter later and make sure we get— oh, you’re writing it down?” Chris has his phone on the table, and he can see the note app open.

“I’ve been meaning to watch your pilot since they hired you,” Chris says, as he taps in the reminder. Phichit tries not to choke on his coffee. “What’s it about, by the way? I know you’re doing pop culture, but that’s all they’d really tell me.”  
  
Phichit ends up giving him his standard spiel: picking something that’s topical, breaking it down into filmography or dance or music, giving a bit of an overview and explaining the appeal. Chris is a good listener; he doesn’t take his eyes off Phichit except to smile and thank the barista when she brings his coffee.  
  
“Sorry, I’ve been talking your ear off,” Phichit says, finally, after picking up his coffee and realizing there’s none left. Chris just laughs. “And I’m being so rude! How are you? How’s your show? I usually watch it religiously, but lately I’ve just been so— Okay, sorry, I swear I’m done!”

“No, this is nice,” Chris says, leaning back a little. That’s when Phichit realizes how relaxed he seems, here in this coffee shop, with his cute nerdy glasses and his deep v-neck. It’s a good look on him. “I’m doing well, I’ve been thinking about what I should do for the special that’s coming up. I’m getting close to the deadline for a concept, but then again that’s usually when the motivation kicks in, so I’m not too worried.” Phichit grins, a little charmed by the idea of Christophe Giacometti _procrastinating,_ and their eyes meet. He tries not to think about his stomach fluttering. “I was thinking about you, too.”

Phichit blinks at him, feeling his cheeks heat up, and Chris clarifies. “I mean, about what we talked about at the party. I was serious about taking you up on social media advice, if you’re serious about wanting to give it. Of course, if it’s more work for you, I understand—”  
  
“I’ll do it,” Phichit says, quickly, and Chris’ smile widens. “Here. Lesson number one: there is no such thing as too many selfies. Not when you’ve got a face like yours, anyway,” he adds, and scooches over to Chris’ side of the table as he laughs.

“I can see why you’d know that, with those eyes,” Chris replies, smoothly, and wraps an arm around Phichit’s shoulders as Phichit raises the camera and smiles. Incredibly, the selfie comes out good enough that Phichit doesn’t even feel worried about having his face next to Chris’. They both look great.

“Now, I’m going to post this and tag you, and you retweet. Make sure you add a layer,” Phichit instructs.

“A layer? Is that like a filter?” Chris’ brow furrows slightly as he leans in to peer over Phichit’s shoulder, and Phichit tries not to laugh.

“No, silly, it’s not a filter. Okay, so, look. If I just tweeted text, it’d be one layer. A thin tweet,” Phichit explains, tapping away at his phone to demonstrate. “But that’s boring, so here’s what I’m going to do instead.”

_well!!! all other faces are cancelled. wear your glasses more often @chrisgc #toohothotdamn #chrisntell #phichitonICE #welcome2twitter [selfie.jpg]_

“So one layer is the text, another is the picture, tagging you in it is another layer, and then the hashtags are a layer. Thick tweet! The more layers, the better, generally, although you wanna make sure to switch it up every now and then or it gets overwhelming.”

It immediately starts picking up likes and retweets, and when Phichit look at over at Chris, he seems mildly impressed. “You’re _very_ good at this,” Chris observes, before pulling out his phone.

“It’s an art,” Phichit replies, with a wink. Chris grins at him again, then passes his phone over.  
  
_@phichit_chu i couldn’t have picked more capable hands to put myself in...thank you for the instruction ;) #teachinganolddognewtricks_

Chris hasn’t actually pressed ‘tweet’ yet, so Phichit does it for him, shaking his head slightly even if he can’t quite hide his laugh. “That’s great, that’s exactly right!”

“Is a wink face a layer?” Chris asks, innocently, and Phichit shoots him an incredulous look.

“If I told you it wasn’t, would you stop using them?” He doesn’t bother adding layers to his next tweet, because the winky faces should get them enough attention.

_@chrisgc always happy to teach someone who’s eager to learn ;) #hmuanytime_

“Probably not. Hey, do you mean that?” Chris asks, hovering a finger over Phichit’s tweet. Phichit looks up at him and nods, a little surprised. “I should get going, but I had a lot of fun today, Phichit. If you want to come over for dinner sometime, I’d love to pick your brain again.”

“Why, Mr. Giacometti, I’d be delighted,” Phichit says, pressing a delicate hand to his own chest and fluttering his eyelashes to cover up how excited he is. It’s ridiculous, but it earns a chuckle. “No, really though, I’m in! Give me your number and I’ll text you?”

“Excellent,” Chris says, pleased. They exchange numbers, and Phichit tries not to stare longingly at the doorway for too long after Chris leaves.

“Have a nice day!” The barista calls, as Phichit makes for the doorway a few minutes later.

He can’t help but beam as he turns back to reply. “Thanks! I already did!”

**Author's Note:**

> dua lipa's new rules: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU
> 
> ketty's the composer of yuri!!! on ice, btw, if anyone was wondering.
> 
> if you have any questions or comments or anything, feel free to hit me up on tumblr at smol-merci!
> 
> finally, this au requires a bit more research and time than some of my other stuff, so don't be surprised if the wait between updates is longer! sorry. 
> 
> thanks for reading!


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